Prinsessan av Cypern

Prinsessan av Cypern (The Princess of Cyprus) is an opera in four acts by Lars-Erik Larsson, with a Swedish libretto by Zacharias Topelius, first performed in in 1937, but subsequently withdrawn by its composer.

The libretto by Zacharias Topelius is based on elements of the Finnish national epic Kalevala. Topelius combined part of the 11th song concerning Lemminkäinen’s attempts to win the proud virgin Kyllikki with other elements from the Kalevala, including Lemminkäinen’s visit to Tuonela. There are parallels to the Iliad and Odyssey, and Topelius uses the conflict of cultures between the noble Greeks and the barbaric Nordic countries.

Larsson wrote Prinsessan av Cypern, his opus 9, from 1931 to 1936. While inspired by past composers, the music is often unmistakably by Larsson. The shepherd's revenge song is inspired by rune singing, and Anemotis's view of Hellas has exotic contours. Larsson gives each character a leitmotif, worked into dramatic storytelling.

Fredrik Pacius used Topelius's story for his fairy-tale singspiel Prinsessan av Cypern (Helsinki, 28 November 1860).

Prinsessan av Cypern was premiered at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm on 29 April 1937 with Hjördis Schymberg and Set Svanholm in leading roles, and the orchestra and chorus conducted by Herbert Sandberg, costumes by Jon-And and choreography by Julian Algo. This production was given a single performance in Göteborg on 11 May 1937, and closed in Stockholm later in the year. Kurt Atterberg criticized the programming of a new work so late in the season.

Malmö Opera mounted four performances of a semi-staged production premiered on 23 August 2008. The production was broadcast on Swedish Radio on 25 October 2008. The conductor Joakim Unander devised a short orchestral suite Tre Bilder (Three pictures) for a concert broadcast during the composer’s centenary.

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